4:00 PM - Aug. 3, 29 Cherry Lane

I got my Hogwarts letter.

I really didn't believe it at first. None of us did. It happened when I was having a quick snack after getting home from a day of summer camp. I was sitting in the dining room, looking out the front window, when something caught my eye. A flurry of purple came spinning out of nowhere up at the street corner. My brain rationalized that a person must have been running and whipped around in a sharp turn, but that theory was quickly shot down when the figure stayed stationary, with no apparent loss of balance. The person quickly glanced around, then headed down toward my house. Upon further examination, I could see that the person was wearing a dressy black jacket over some sort of flowy purple dress. I wondered if someone was hosting a fancy party tonight. The well-dressed woman seemed out of place walking down quiet little Cherry Lane on a weekday afternoon. Maybe she had gotten lost?

As I watched, the woman kept walking calmly and assuredly down the street. When she reached our house, she stopped. I lost sight of her as she climbed the stairs to the front porch, but a few seconds later I heard the doorbell ring.

My mother was busy upstairs, so I figured I might as well go ahead and answer. Besides, I was pretty curious by now about the mysterious, well-dressed stranger who had spontaneously appeared on our street and wanted to talk to us. I got up, brushed the cracker crumbs off my hands, and went to open the door.

A slim woman stood facing me. She had a sharp chin and sparkling eyes that looked like they had seen plenty of mischief and didn't want to be seeing any more of it from you, thank you very much. She automatically struck me as a teacher or tutor of some sort, though I have no idea how I could tell.

"Is this the residence of Eve Josephine Sterling and her parents?" inquired the visitor. She spoke with a proper British accent in a way that seemed to demand a response. I flinched at the use of my middle name. I have always hated that name, and to hear it from a proper British lady who randomly showed up at my house was a bit of a shock. At that moment, I probably should have been wondering how she knew it, and how she knew where I lived, but that didn't bother me. This teacher lady just seemed like the sort of person who would know things.

"You're talking to her right now," I managed to reply. "Hello."

"Well, Miss Sterling," said the woman, "I have some information, a message, and a letter for you. Are your parents here?"

"Yes," I said, thinking that it was not only true, but also the right response anyway when a stranger shows up at your door. "My mom is upstairs, but I think she's busy."

"I think she might like to hear this. It's a very important message, concerning your future prospects."

This lady was starting to get on my nerves. Who did she think she was, carrying a vital message that would affect my "future prospects"? She was probably just some door-to-door saleswoman selling SAT prep workbooks. "Can I just have the letter, please?" I asked.

"If you insist," she said. "But I do want to make sure your parents are informed as well."

The teacher lady reached into her jacket, and took a lavender envelope out of a pocket. She hand it to me.

Before I opened the letter, I started to examine it. First, it had a big red wax seal on it. What kind of fancy shmancy organization puts wax seals on their letters, anyway? Something starting with an H, it looked like. That crest did look familiar, though. It had a lion in one of the quadrants: Harvard? No, there were other animals, too. A snake, a bird, some sort of furry animal…

Suddenly, recognition hit me. It was a letter from Hogwarts.

I laughed out loud. "Are you kidding? You came to give me a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Alright, who put you up to this?"

The woman looked affronted. "Do you mean to suggest that I, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, would take my orders from some… some prankster?"

I stifled a giggle. "Sorry, Professor McGonagall, ma'am," I said, in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm ever so pleased to meet you. I'm sure you would never pull any sort of pranks. My very deepest apologies."

"Watch your tone, young woman," McGonagall warned. "And that's Headmistress to you." With that, she swept into the house. "I should very much like to see your parents and get their say on the matter. Maybe they will set an example of respect for you to follow."

"Um… excuse me for sounding rude, but one can never be too cautious. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" McGonagall jumped. I let out a laugh. She just rolled her eyes, muttering, "Alastor…"

"Anyway, I figured it might be a good idea to just make absolutely sure you were the REAL Minerva McGonagall, and not an imposter."

"I see you are not willing to take any risks when it comes to security… very well. I believe a demonstration is in order?" With that, she turned into a cat.

I gaped. "How…? But that's not… You can't just… But physics!"

The cat straightened up into a woman once again, this time with the trace of a smile on her lips. "I am what is called an Animagus. After many long hours of intensive training, I have learned the ability to turn into an animal. My distinctive features have been registered with the Ministry, and you may have observed that the markings around the eyes of my cat-form match exactly with the Animagus description on file for Minerva McGonagall. You may check the official file at your convenience. Is that proof enough for you, Miss Sterling?"

"I- I think so, yes," I stammered. I declined to point out that the ability to suddenly turn into a cat was certainly enough to make me pay attention to whatever she had to say, regardless of markings or Ministry files. I had to find out more.

"Now will you listen to me?" McGonagall said tiredly. I nodded my head. "Alright then," she began. "You are what is generally called a Muggleborn. This means-"

"That I'm a witch born from two Muggle parents?"

"...That is what I was about to say, yes. Please do not interrupt. Now, as I was saying, you are a witch, and as such you are invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We usually just send the letter by owl post if the young wizard has one or more magical parents, but in the case of Muggleborns, the families often need some… convincing. They have to come to terms with the existence of magic and the powers the child possesses. I'm sure that once I give them a demonstration, your parents will be happy to let you attend the most prestigious Wizarding school in Britain, if you so choose. That's why I'm here. I am a liaison from Hogwarts to welcome you to the Wizarding World."

I finally got my mouth to work. "That's awesome! Can I go to Diagon Alley to get my wand? Can I have an owl? Can first years be on the Quidditch team? Will it be dangerous? What house will I be in? When does the Hogwarts Express leave?"

McGonagall laughed. "I can see that you won't have any trouble fitting in."